falling smoke
by Golden-Tailed Hawk
Summary: Smokepaw did not die after that deadly plunge into a ravine, rather survive, with the realization that StarClan wanted him alive. But what will be the cost of escape?


**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! Erin Hunter does.**

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Smokepaw let out a scream as he fell. Winds whipped his fur, blasting him off course more times then he could count. He squeezed his eyes shut and tucked his chin into his chest, trying to ignore the terrifying sensation of having nothing beneath him.

Then an agonizing sensation shot through his body, rocking him from nose to tail-tip. Smokepaw shrieked as his body was painfully tossed from branch to branch, pine needles fluttering softly down with the dark gray tom, disturbed from their original positions.

As Smokepaw broke free from the clutches of the tall pines and the wind blew the fur of his ears, he didn't dare open his eyes, for fear of what he would see. For fear of what would happen. He knew the ground was coming, the hard solid ground. It was approaching fast and he would surely die.

He wondered, for just a single heartbeat, if he would go to StarClan. This may seem absolutely ridiculous to you, of course he would join his ancestors, he was just an apprentice, he hadn't done anything wrong. But every cat has those doubts, if they have time.

A strange buzzing sound echoed through Smokepaw's ears, and everything went black.

* * *

A faint golden glow was beginning to spread through the sky when Smokepaw stirred. _Am I in StarClan?_ he wondered absently, too stiff to move. He remembered his plunge into the ravine, how he had painfully broken through the foliage currently sheltering him, and how he had landed here.

How in StarClan's name was he alive? No cat could ever survive such a deadly fall, he'd heard of cats who'd simply fallen into dips and gotten trapped. There they'd starved. They'd _died_. And they'd certainly fallen a shorter distance than Smokepaw.

The young dark gray tom managed to lift his head just a bit and glance around at his surroundings. Monstrous pines rose into the air, decked with thick, sharp pine needles. The ground beneath his body was oddly soft, and there was an outcropping of smooth rocks nearby. He vaguely thought he heard the sound of a body of water, although he could see no evidence of this.

He rested his head back on the ground for a moment, listening to the sweet sound of birdsong. Hours flew by, minutes seemingly passed, and Smokepaw was left helpless at the bottom of a ravine, stomach rumbling increasingly louder, throat growing increasingly more parched.

A rustling sounded from far off, and Smokepaw jerked out of his stupor, slowly turning his head to stare over his shoulder. A ginger-and-white figure stood there for a moment, before padding up to him, their pawsteps muffled by a layer of browning pine needles that now rested upon the ground.

"I see you've awoken. I must say, I was quite surprised when I found that you were still alive." The voice was feminine, and not friendly. Smokepaw gazed up at the she-cat. Her green eyes were narrowed, and her lip was curled into a sneer. Smokepaw could think of nothing to say, so he responded with a grunt.

The she-cat rolled her eyes and took a step back. "I see you've only damaged your vocal chords. Or perhaps you were always like this? Anyways, I've brought you food, you're welcome. Clearly, you're in no condition to go off hunting yourself."

Smokepaw sighed and twisted, planting his front paws firmly on the soggy ground. Carefully, he worked himself into a sitting position. A plump robin lay not far off, its blood fresh. Realizing how hungry he was, Smokepaw lurched forward and devoured the fresh-kill in three swift gulps.

"Hungry, I see? Well, tell me, tom, what's your name?" Smokepaw didn't know what to say for a moment. His throat was so dry he wondered if he would even be able to speak. After a few heartbeats, he managed to choke out, "Smokepaw."

The ginger-and-white she-cat frowned. "Odd name. Smoke _paw_? What, are your paws on fire?" When Smokepaw didn't answer, the she-cat shrugged. "I thought you knew how to talk. I must've been mistaken, forgive me, I often am. Anyways, my name, although you did not ask, is River."

Smokepaw stared at River blankly for a long time, before rasping, "I need to get back." River stared at him in confusion then snorted. "Get back? Where? From where you fell? Sorry, flower, it's not happening. Once you fall in, you never get out."

Horror and anger surged through Smokepaw and he jumped into a standing position, his muscles screaming. "That's impossible! There has to be some way out. My family is up there, the _Clans_ are up there…"

He trailed off, thinking of the journey he would never complete. The mountain cats he would never meet. A storm of despair and panic began to form deep inside him, and he sprang at River. " _There has to be a way out!_ "

River recoiled as Smokepaw flew at her, sighing as the dark gray tom skidded to one side and barely missed a pine trunk. "Sorry, flower," she meowed unsympathetically. "But there's absolutely no way out. The cliff faces are too sheer and steep to climb."

Smokepaw stood, forgetting his thirst, forgetting his stiffness, and forgetting the miracle that he was even alive. He thought of his mother, Nightwing, staring into the abyss as he fell, to never see her only son again.

He let out a choked sob and sank to the ground, wishing the wet, uneven ground would swallow him up and take him back to the Clans, to his family. He didn't notice as River walked over and stood beside him, staring at him with some level of awkwardness.

"If you're done…" she muttered, flicking her tail impatiently. Smokepaw spun around and glared at her, fire and fury in his eyes. "I will never see my family again!" he snarled. River shrugged. "Me too, flower. Get over it."

Smokepaw screeched and leapt furiously at an unprepared River. He knocked the she-cat onto her back and pinned her down, sinking unsheathed claws into her shoulders. River writhed and struggled, but eventually fell limp and stared up at her attacker, annoyed.

"Get out of here," Smokepaw hissed, his pale green eyes gleaming with hatred. River twisted out of his grip and bounded towards the rock outcropping, where she paused and turned back to look at him. "I will," she started slowly, taking a step. "But just remember, you have no idea where any water is. You have know idea where to shelter, find food…" she trailed off, looking at Smokepaw. "Your choice."

Smokepaw gazed through narrowed eyes at the she-cat he had just attacked. Her argument was valid, he supposed, he had no idea where to find water, and his throat was so dry it would end up sanding whatever food he managed to choke down next.

And did he really need to make enemies? It would threaten his survival here, put him in even more danger. Then he really would be dead. No, he decided, he would not make an enemy of this insensitive she-cat. Not yet, at least.

"Fine. Stay." Smokepaw grumbled. River nodded, looking satisfied, even pausing to mutter something under her breath, stare pointedly at Smokepaw, and continue on. The ShadowClan apprentice forced his fur to lay flat.

"Well, the first thing you'll need is water, obviously, the most _essential part of life_." Smokepaw glared, realizing that his companion was deliberately trying to get a rise out of him, and simply followed her through the forest, down a winding path.

It turned out that his ears had not deceived him, and there was indeed a small river running through the pine forest near where he had landed. The water looked fresh and clear and promising, and the young tom raced forward, bowing his head to gulp up as much of the precious liquid as he could.

He hear a mutter of, "It's not like there's a _time limit_ to drinking water, you know." but blocked it out, instead focused on the pure, clean water. Finally, he leaned back, chest heaving, stomach full, legs aching.

River rolled her eyes and set off again, Smokepaw hurrying after her. The sun was starting to set, falling lower and lower through the sky, reminding Smokepaw of himself, plummeting into the ravine. He shuddered and shook the harsh recollections away.

The sky was almost pitch black when River finally came to a complete stop beside a wide pine tree. The tree's roots spread out, forming the entrance to a hole beneath the tree, covered in ferns and hanging ivy.

River pushed her way past the plants and Smokepaw hesitantly followed her. It was completely dark inside the den, but Smokepaw could feel soft fern and moss underpaw. He heard a few grunts, then a tail was draped over his shoulder and he was guided into a makeshift nest.

As he drifted off into sleep, Smokepaw heard a quiet "You're welcome, flower," but it barely registered in his mind as he fell into a dream.

* * *

 _The air was quiet, with the exception of a chorus of crickets, their music filling the night sky. Stars glittered overhead. Smokepaw blinked open his eyes._

" _Hello, Smokepaw." The young apprentice jumped at the sound of another voice, and spun around to see a pale ginger tabby tom standing on a flat rock that overlooked ShadowClan territory. His pale green eyes shone with love as he gazed down at Smokepaw._

 _Smokepaw's eyes widened. "Smokestorm!" Smokepaw ran to meet his father, his namesake, for the second time._

 _Smokestorm had died just one day after Smokepaw, then an unnamed kit, had been born. Heartbroken, Nightwing had named her son in her fallen mate's honor._ And now she thinks we're both dead.. _Smokepaw thought with a pang._

 _Smokepaw locked eyes with his father, his purr dying down. "Why am I still alive?" he whispered. "I shouldn't have survived that fall."_

 _Smokestorm avoided his young son's gaze. "StarClan works in mysterious ways, young one. All I can tell you is that for whatever reason, you were not supposed to fall, so StarClan allowed you to live." Smokepaw's eyes widened._ StarClan's power is more than I could ever have imagined! _This thought was quickly replaced with,_ Why was I not supposed to die?

" _Come, walk with me." Smokestorm murmured, turning away and beginning to pad off through the trees. Smokepaw bounded off to follow him, his thoughts racing, his heart beating fast, his mind confused._

 _The pines of ShadowClan were much like the ones of the ravine, Smokepaw noted, gazing up at the sky. He realized where his father was taking him as they reached the thunderpath. To Smokepaw's surprise, not a single monster was traversing it._

 _Smokepaw turned to look at his StarClan guide in confusion. "Where are the monsters?" he asked. He took a deep breath, expecting a familiar acrid scent to flood his nostrils, but there was only the scents of the earth._

 _Smokestorm purred. "Danger does not exist in StarClan." the tom's purr faltered. "We walk an uncertain path, now that the Clans are traveling. Sometimes we cannot see them." A look of grief contorted the former ShadowClan warrior's face. "Just today, I lost complete sight of them."_

 _Smokepaw gasped. "What? Then how are you talking to me?" Smokestorm simply sighed, gazing across the empty thunderpath. "I've chosen to stay with you. I don't think I'm able to go much farther anyways."_

 _Guilt washed through Smokepaw. "You should go watch your old Clanmates. You can't exile yourself just because of something stupid that I did."_

 _Smokestorm shook his head. "It isn't exile if I get to be with my son, and it is certainly not your fault that you fell." The pale ginger tabby jumped to his paws and padded confidently across to the middle of the thunderpath. "Now come, there is something I must show you."_

 _Smokepaw looked both ways before crossing the hard stone path, despite the fact that he knew no monster would come and hit him. He scampered alongside his father as they skirted ThunderClan territory, and then paused before bounding down into Fourtrees._

 _The sight there took Smokepaw's breath away. The Great Rock was still intact, moonlight causing the entire place to glow a beautiful silver. Fireflies dotted the clearing, one hovering right in front of Smokepaw's face for a moment before fluttering off. "It's beautiful," the dark gray tom breathed._

 _Smokestorm nodded, beckoning to Smokepaw to follow him. "There is something I need to show you." The former ShadowClan warrior sprang onto the Great Rock. Hesitantly, Smokepaw followed him, scrambling madly until he reached the top._

 _Smokestorm was leaning over something near the edge of the rock. Smokepaw padded over to see two fireflies fluttering softly inside a crack in the rock. Many times, they flew into small crags, but eventually they picked their way out of the ravine and joined a bigger group, not far off._

 _Smokepaw's gaze lingered on the fireflies for a moment before he turned to his father. "Does it mean something? What does it mean?"_

 _Smokestorm simply gazed fondly at his son. With a jolt of horror, Smokepaw realized that his father was beginning to fade away, as well as the landscape around him. Soon, the only things that remained were father and son's matching, glowing pale green eyes, and the two golden glowing fireflies._

" _No!" Smokepaw cried, slowly losing feeling in his body as he, too, began to fade away. "Don't go!" he gasped, voice hoarse. "There's so much I have to ask, I have to say…"_

 _Smokestorm's voice sounded directly in Smokepaw's ear, as if the fallen warrior was standing right beside him. "Take heed of what you have seen, Smokepaw, for it shall help you escape."_

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 **A/N: Please review if you liked it! I will get this story finished if it kills me.**


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